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When Megan and Jacob Bermea lost their premature infant, their family and friends gathered around them to provide comfort.

And one of the comforts they provided was Coco Chanel, a sometimes insistent miniature chocolate schnauzer that recently won a “Cutest Pet” contest held by A-J Media.

Megan said, “If we’re gone too long, she will be happy to see us, but she will bark because she wants to know where we’ve been.”

According to Jacob, dogs have personalities of their own. “The other day, we were watching TV, and she actually stares at it. Megan was watching a movie, and I looked at her, and Coco was glued to the TV.”

In March of this year, the Bermeas suffered the loss of their expected baby, Abigail Grace.

Megan remembers, “When I was 16 weeks — it was a Saturday morning — I got up like normal and all of a sudden I noticed that my water had broken. So, we kind of went into panic mode. Jacob took me to the hospital and called my parents and his parents, and my sister and my aunts, and we all went up there.”

She recalls, “We waited forever for an ultrasound for confirmation. And when that happened, the doctor came in and said that we probably would lose her right away. In that type of situation they have to give you the worst possible scenario.

“They transferred me to the Covenant Women and Children Hospital, and there they were a little more optimistic. They told me that they have had babies that have survived.”

Megan was kept in the hospital for a week, then sent home for continued bed rest.

“I couldn’t do anything, but Abigail hung on — we heard her heart beat every day. She kept going from 16 weeks to 24 weeks. Once I hit 24 weeks, they were supposed to admit me to the hospital, which they did, and then I would finish my bed rest there. The day I went in, I started having a pain in my back, but the nurses couldn’t tell that I was having contractions. Finally, Jacob went out there and he said, ‘We really think something else is wrong.’

“And sure enough, I guess about 3:30 in the morning, they finally came in and realized that, yes, she is in labor. And it was too late to stop it.”

She remembers, “They were going to keep me on bed rest and hopefully she would have more time to develop, but that’s just not how God wanted it.”

Megan and Jacob got to hold Abigail for about 90 minutes.

“The nurses took pictures and they made the prints. They gave us so many good memories of being able to actually hold her,” Megan said.

“My mom called our family friend, a priest, Father Jim O’Connor, and he came and baptized Abigail before she passed away. He got up at 4:30 in the morning and came and met us at the hospital. He sprinkled her with holy water, and he prayed over her.”

Abigail Grace had been born on March 28, 2014. She weighed 1 pound, 9 ounces, and was 11.5 inches long.

Books they had purchased to read to her were signed with comforting notes from friends and family.

“We have four books that are just filled with notes from friends and family,” Megan said.

Abigail’s funeral service was held at St. Elizabeth’s Church, University Avenue Parish.

Jacob remembers there were about 200 people present:

“I played a song, and when I finished singing my song, I turned around and I couldn’t see — the people were like trees that just kept going back. It was an amazing sight to see how much a little girl could bring people together.”

Megan, who works at PlainsCapital Bank as a loan assistant, said the bank gave the family support also. “The bank really helped us out when we lost Abigail. They helped pay for the service and her headstone and everything. We’re so thankful for them.”

Jacob also now works at the bank.

Their closest family supporters include her parents, Margie and Frank Aguilar; and his parents, Rudy and Sylvia Bermea, who gave them Coco. They have received continuing support also from their physician and family friend, Dr. Tracy Suit.

Covenant staff members made a video of the pictures that were taken, and added music to it.

“When we saw the video it was just so beautiful, and we get to keep that and the tiles and they gave us a plaster of her feet. Her memory ... we’re going to have them forever.

“Lots of people may not get this sort of thing, but we did, and we are very blessed.”

Megan remembers, “After Abigail passed away, we celebrated our one-year anniversary. Jacob was able to get Coco Chanel to carry my anniversary ring in a box and surprise me with it.”

Jacob said of the family’s adversity, “It definitely brought us closer than ever. I think this marriage is the best of everything. With heartaches comes joy, and the joy that I have is to be with my wife and with our future family.”